Erin Jackson made history on Sunday when she won the gold medal in the 500-meter speedskating event at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Finishing with a time of 37.04 seconds, Jackson is now the first Black woman to win a speedskating medal of any kind.
“I cried immediately, it was just a big release of emotion. A lot of shock, a lot of relief and a lot of happiness. I haven’t fully processed everything quite yet, but it just feels amazing,” Jackson told reporters. “I had a little misstep on the backstretch, but I just tried to, I wouldn’t say recover, because it wasn’t anything big, but just tried to continue skating.”
Jackson slipped during the qualifying trials, her teammate Brittany Bowe gave her spot to Jackson. The decision ultimately secured a gold medal for the team.
“Right after the race, I knew that if it came down to me relinquishing my spot for her to be named on the team, I would do that because she deserves it,” Bowe told reporters at the time.
“She has earned the right to compete in her marquee event at the Olympics, and it was an honor to give her that spot for the opportunity to race for gold for Team USA.”
After Jackson’s epic win, she cried on Bowe’s shoulder, who finished 16th.
“I’ve looked up to Brittany ever since I was kid,” Jackson said ahead of the Games. “She’s always been a great person, a great athlete and just having her here as a trailblazer for me on the ice has been great too.”
